Aero (acrylic) title bars is returning (possibly) in Windows 11 23H2, build 22540

[sunryze]

Recently in a Microsoft PowerToys livestream, they were showing off some things with it, but the build they are using in the stream was 22540, a build expected to release to insiders next week as 22H2 has been finished basically.

At that specific time, you can see it on the run box.

Here is a Windows Central topic for it: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-readies-app-folders-start-and-more-features-insiders-windows-11

IMO, I am pretty hyped for this right now. I loved the aero part of Win7 so I am very hopeful they actually go through and add it back, because it seems to exist in 22540. (or 22543, dunno what build in specifics) 

[vinifera]

what a piece of bleep os ...

[Tommy]

On 3/8/2022 at 6:13 AM, vinifera said:

what a piece of bleep os ...

I've been using it for about two weeks now, I don't think it's truly that bad once you install explorer patcher to return some of the graphical interfaces back to the Windows 10 style. But one thing that has irritated me about Windows 8+ is honestly the graphical interface. I know you can choose a color for the titlebar but it's just one, flat color. I wouldn't mind a few aero traits coming back to Windows 11 though. Some of the window animations remind me of Aero to a degree but the flatness drives me insane. Then again, I preferred the original classic theme the best. It felt more colorful and vivid instead of this flat, gray/white garbage that comes out of box.

[Jody Thornton]

See I like the Windows 8x style.  Sure it's flat, but at least there's still a frame and the context buttons are more condensed placed

 

[UCyborg]

I also miss normal settings for coloring window captions depending on window state. I guess it works if you dig out classic theme, which is really a raw shell buried underneath, but DWM normally doesn't care about those. Maybe only active color, and even then it may not work all the time since it switches between two colors depending on the brightness of the accent color and you only have control over one AFAIK (or maybe I just didn't find it).

Another lame File Explorer degradation got to be the omission of showing image thumbnails on the icon of the folder containing images. There's no proper fix for that. XP's Explorer has no problem showing 4 of those.

15 hours ago, Tommy said:

I don't think it's truly that bad once you install explorer patcher to return some of the graphical interfaces back to the Windows 10 style.

It's horror show without that IMO. I tested that thing on a virtual machine and encountered weird glitch with my favorite settings combination that the author cannot reproduce (https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/discussions/895).

I think I'll worry about Windows 11 if it gets some killer new feature I'd be interested in or some application requires it. Given my simpler needs, I guess I'm good for a while.

[sunryze]

25xxx builds are out and so far no sign of this feature, however, Micaforeveryone allows you to enable it in 22H2 and later, although it is slightly buggy but it has been getting better. No support for Windows 10 as it still uses more legacy parts of DWM on the title bars.

Seems like if you want at least some form of Aero Glass nowadays, 22H2 with micaforeveryone or other aero projects is where its at, as Aero Glass for Win8+ is abandoned.